3 tires to choose from, the Sumitumo HTR+, Yokohoma ES100, or
Continental ContiExtremeContact. The continentals seem to be the best tire from the ratings and are a good price, but how much better are they than the Sumitumo which are cheaper.

heres the link for the continental tire
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ExtremeContact

Should I go 225 or 235?

 

sumitomo htr+

 

Yoko is not all season, where the other two are. Believe there is one person on the TL site that is running the Conti's, so they are somewhat of an unknown commodity. Kinda hard to answer the question "how much better than" since the same could be asked "how much better are the Pilot A/S since they are the most expensive?" Just mounted some Dunlop SP 5000's on my stock rims that were on some Konig's that would fit the car. Absolutely no problems with the 235/45/17 on 17x7 stock rims. The ratings are relatively close on the 2 all seasons you've listed, along with the Michelin Pilot A/S's, but remember these are all subjective based on reviews from people who have purchased. All else being equal, the Sumi's are the cheapest if the price hasn't gone back up to the $104 area. I'll probably try the Conti's when it gets closer to winter ... should be more reviews by then. Only complaint I've seen is that some don't like the look of the sidewall -- big deal.

 

I replaced my front OEMs with a pair of HTR+s (stock size) at 28,000 mi. At 35,000 I destroyed one (BIG bubble) in a pothole. I replaced both fronts with the Conti ExtremeContacts.

The Sumis definitely rode smoother. The Conti's are unbelievable cornering in the rain, and superior in light snow (the last one of the season).

If I had a choice I would drive the Sumis in the summer and the Contis in snow season. Also, I was not pleased with the amount of wear of the Sumis. They were down to between 6 and 7/10 after only 7,000 miles. I did not drive them that hard and rarely spun them. Both were highly superior to the Michelins.

I'll be ready to replace the other two before the winter. I must admit I'm kind of torn between the ride and handling.

If handling is your prime consideration, I'd go with the Conti's.

2001 CL-S
San Marino Red/Beige
Conti ExtremeContacts (2)
PIIA 9005 Extreme White Plus
Scratched rim club

 

The Es100 aren't bad. I have them right now and they corner way better than stock.